A Very Special Person

Stories of how we invite young people into Adventist church leadership.

• "Just Be" - When he was in college, Pastor Ben Amoah had an idea. It did not go as he planned. Now, years later, he knows who to blame. (6 minutes)
• "A Very Special Person" - Buried deep in the depths of the internet lies a piece of hidden Adventist treasure. The journey to learn more about it may be buried even deeper. Aren tries anyway, and discovers more than he was searching for. (27 minutes)

To learn more, including guest profiles and episode transcripts, visit our website adventiststories.buzzsprout.com, or follow us on Instagram @AdventistStories. Thank you to Blue Dot Sessions, Stellwagon Symphonette, the Pacific Union Conference, and Growing Young Leaders. Please subscribe to our show and leave a rating and review to help us reach more people. We appreciate your support.

Transcript

“Just Be”

When Ben was in college, he took on a role as student dean. A big part of his job was organizing the weekly dorm worship event on Wednesday nights.  

Ben It was a nice thing I got to do. Got to organize and kind of think of the vision of what worship was going to look like, what the theme was every week, et cetera.

One of his main responsibilities: Finding speakers. And while he typically would target theology students like him, what he mostly was looking for…was anybody who would say yes.

Ben I was young and new, and I didn't realize the weight that could be carried by when you're choosing someone to speak, there's an importance of preparation and like, guidance that's needed.

Aren So you weren't doing any vetting, or…?

Ben I was just like, “Hey, like, you want to share for tonight?” People like, “Yeah.” I'm like, “Oh, cool, man. That's awesome. Thank you for saying yes.” 

One day, Ben is in class when he gets an idea for a speaker. An acquaintance he’d gotten to know, who he had heard might also be considering ministry for a career. She had never done any public speaking, but Ben sees something in her, so he asks.

Ben And she was like, “Ben, like, you know, I feel like I don't have much to say. Like, I don't know.” I'm like, “Hey, like,” you know, trying to be pastoral, trying to, like, embrace my role. I'm like, “Hey, look, you know what? Like, just be yourself. That's what matters.”

It turns out, those words, “Just be yourself,” they’re exactly what she needs to hear. She agrees to speak at the Wednesday night service in two weeks. Ben is thrilled.

Aren You had seen something in her that made you think, let me give her this chance.

Ben Let me give her this opportunity. I think it's special, right? Like she can do this.

Two weeks go by, Wednesday night comes. The dorm fills up. Praise team leads in a few songs. And then it’s Ben’s turn to go up and introduce the speaker.

Ben And I'm gassing her up. “The homie, everyone knows her. Let's put our hands together for so and so.” Everyone's rowdy. Everyone gets hype. Everyone gets hype every single time. 

Ben She walks up. You know, the spotlight’s on her. And then she says, “You know, I haven't had many opportunities and Ben encouraged me to come and share today. And I told him like this, not something I do, but he said, like, just, ‘Be yourself.’ And so that's what I'm going to do. I'm just going to be.” Then she walked off the stage. 

Ben Then there was silence in the room. And I remember looking around like, wait, and I had to go up and close the service. I was like, Oh my goodness. What just happened? I was like “Oh snap. She really just went to go be. Praise God.” And I didn’t know what to do. Everyone's like, “Huh?,” Everyone’s looking at me. And I'm like–

Aren So that’s literally all she said and did?

Ben She was the sermon. [LAUGHS] And there might have been one person that said, like, “Hmm.” [LAUGHS] Like, someone that validated it in the crowd. And was like…

Ben When I looked back at her just to check, like, what was going on, she was looking at the stage like, “What's happening next?” So I was like, oh, like, she doesn't. Like, there's no misstep. Like, this was like, she's like, look, she was looking me weird. Like, yeah. Like,

Aren Like, Ben, you're up.

Ben “Next.” You can't do that to me. [LAUGHS]

Aren So what did you do afterwards?

Ben I went up, and I just said, like, I think I kind of had to free style. I said, “Let's just take a few minutes and reflect on ourselves being.” [LAUGHS] I don't know what–I tried to direct it. “Everyone just pray with the person beside you. Let's, let's close up. You know, I think, yeah, it's an early night. Let's just get some rest.” 

I asked Ben if he asked her why she did what she did. He didn’t–but left that night with some guesses. Maybe it was nerves, or self-doubt, or meant as a statement.

But now, when Ben looks back on it, he doesn’t think it was any of those. More than anything, he says it happened because the person who asked her to speak, didn’t offer any help or guidance beyond that.

Ben I needed to come and walk with her. If I'm asking somebody to do something that they're uncomfortable with, something they haven't done before, it should be on me to not just be like, “Hey, can you do this?” and walk away.

Aren How did that change the way that you led going forward?

Ben Changed everything. Because now, especially working as a youth pastor, it's important to give people opportunities to participate. They have to. I think it's like, that's a key thing of church. Like we're not made to just be consumers. We're invited to participate. And so it's made me very intentional. Like, I still ask anybody I said I still have that, like I still want, like I don't really care. But there's a preparation that's important.

Aren Yeah. It's almost like when, when, as a pastor or person in leadership, when they actually take the time to come alongside of people they've asked to write or speak. That's almost the best part of the process. That's where the rich moments come.

Ben That's right. Absolutely.

Aren Do you have any idea where she's at today, is she a pastor?

Ben No, no. She's not a pastor, and I take blame. No, I’m joking. [LAUGHS] It's because of that moment. [LAUGHS] No, no, but she's and she isn't, and she's thriving, doing what she's doing. And so.

Aren She's just being.

Ben She is currently being and I'm actually so glad for her.

Ben Amoah is a youth and young adult pastor in Southern California.

Well I’m your host, Aren Rennacker, also a pastor in California, and today, on our first episode of Adventist Stories, we bring you another story that focuses on how we invite young people into church leadership. And this one involves something and someone I never would have expected–and my unlikely pursuit to get to the bottom of it. That’s coming up next, right after this.

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“A Very Special Person”

Welcome back to Adventist Stories, our first episode. So cool you’ve decided to listen. And in this show, we’re going to be sharing a variety of stories, from many different people about a lot of different things. Because that’s Adventism.

And this next story touches on things like purpose, fame, art, and why we tell stories in the first place. We hope you enjoy it. 

Tell me if you’ve been here before: It’s late at night, you should be asleep. But instead, you’re on YouTube, down some rabbit hole. You aren’t even sure how you got here—or if your algorithm will ever recover. But, despite all that…you keep digging deeper.

There are approximately 15 billion videos on YouTube. Which means, there are an infinite number of trails to wander. And while most of them lead to nothing—every now and then, you discover gold.

That’s how I would describe one video in particular. I can almost guarantee you’ve never seen it. It was made in 1982, got posted online in 2012, and doesn’t have a large number of views or comments. To most people, it wouldn’t mean much. But to an Adventist, like me, it felt like finding the needle in a haystack.

The video is titled A Very Special Person. It begins simply enough. A man is digging in his yard, as birds sing overhead. His tank top is sweaty, his shorts are…short. And then, a second man in a leather vest rides up on a motorcycle.

Barry “Hello, John. Wow, what a nice surprise.”

The younger man, John, is a recent high school graduate, where the older man, Barry, was his teacher. And John? He’s got a problem. He doesn’t know what to do with his life. So he’s looking for advice. And Barry’s got just the idea: a career that requires knowledge of the arts, good communication, and sound moral character.

Barry “Well, what do you think. Is that enough challenge for you?”

John “Listen, I don’t want to be superman, I just want an interesting job.”

Barry “This is an interesting job, John. It’s one of the most interesting there is.”

John “What’s it called?”

Barry “It’s called Gospel Ministry.”

John “Oh, a pastor?”

Barry “Yes, that’s right. Are you interested?”

John “Well, that’s not really my scene, is it, you know…”

It’s a bit hokey, but for the 80’s, pretty innovative. The teacher explains that being a pastor isn’t just holding a Bible and wearing a suit—it’s about keeping up with the times. Less apologist, more renaissance man. Something even a teen on a motorcycle could love.

The two men continue talking, but at some point, you realize something. The younger one, John, looks familiar. He even sounds familiar. Maybe you catch it on the second close-up or the third, but eventually it hits you.

Is that Russell Crowe?

John “Well how does this temptation, how does the call happen?”

Barry “Well, it’s…”

That is Russell Crowe. Gladiator, Cinderella Man, Les Mis. A-list Hollywood actor Russell Crowe…playing an inquiring Adventist student headed for the ministry.

John “Okay, so I get the call. What happens next?”

Barry “Study. Four years of intensive study at one of the finest Christian colleges in the country.”

Suddenly we’re whisked away to the campus of Avondale College—now Avondale University, an Adventist school in Australia. We follow Barry and John as they sit in class, talk about purpose, even admire the female students.

John “Is she a theology student?”

Barry “She could be. There are women who do a theology degree here.”

The YouTube version jumps around, I don’t think it’s the full video, but we get the idea that John is impressed. The closing act then brings them back together in Barry’s yard, where John has decided to apply as a theology student. Cue an incredible montage underneath the credits, where the first name listed…is Russell Crowe.

I had to know more.

[FACETIME RING]

David: Hello, hello.

Aren: Hey, David. How you doing?

David: Yeah, good man. How are you…

My friend David is a fellow youth pastor and–he’s Australian. Seemed like a good lead.

Aren So, I have a strange question for you. There is this video that exists on YouTube from the ‘80s that features an older man talking to a younger man about becoming an Adventist pastor. And he takes the young man to Avondale College. He shows him around and it just so happens that the young man is played by Russell Crowe.

David: No way. [LAUGHS]

Aren: Have you heard of this at all?

David: No, never.

Aren: You have not heard of this? 

David: No. I've never seen this at all. [LAUGHS]

Aren: Okay. [LAUGHS] Can I send you a link?

David: I would love to see it.

David: All right. All right. Let me go.

[Sound of video begins]

David This is the most eighties thing I've ever seen man.

David Can you imagine if he became a minister? [LAUGHS]

David: Um, yeah. No, I have never come across that. That is wild.

David: That's crazy. [LAUGHS] 

Aren Can we jump to the credits, I’m curious if you recognize any of the names?

David If I, hang on. If I go back to the credits. I mean, obviously Russell Crow. That might be the only one.

Aren David, thank you.

David Yeah, that’s awesome. [LAUGHS]

I was officially 1/1 in sharing the video…but 0/1 in finding anything out about it.

I had one other friend in mind who could possibly know something about this, my friend Chris. Also a youth pastor, also attended Avondale–and a few years older than David. Maybe that would help.

[PHONE RING]

Chris Hey mate. How you doing?

Aren Hey, Chris, how are you?

Chris I'm doing well. I'm doing well.

Aren I have a question for you that is a bit random. And to be completely transparent, it's being brought to you for the sole fact that you are Australian. Uh, so there is a video that exists on YouTube from the 80s that features an older man talking to a younger man about becoming an Adventist pastor. And it just so happens that the young man is played by Russell Crowe.

Chris That is correct.

Aren So you've heard of this video before?

Chris Oh I’ve seen it. They showed it to us like the second day that we got to like classes for theology. They're still proud of it.

Aren Is that the reason why you became an Adventist pastor, that video?

Chris Precisely. Russell Crowe in his–oh, I believe it was like a, a black sleeveless leather vest and an awesome mullet. I saw myself in him.

Chris What was interesting is when we watched it, we're like that was kind of cool and progressive of them back then to try and make a video of that nature, like good on them for trying. That's kind of cool. Like we're like. You know, like mildly impressed. And then, you know, just the sheer luck of getting Russell Crowe. I mean, that's just cool.

I scrolled through Russell Crowe’s profile on the International Movie Database. He has over 80 acting credits to his name, three of which got him nominated for Best Actor–but all the way down at the bottom was his first credited role…in 1987. Five years after A Very Special Person.

Chris When he took out the Oscar for like the Gladiator film, I mean, you know, we loved him, we were super proud of him. But then, yeah, he, he, he got a bit older and a bit angrier and a bit drunker. And we're a little, you know, a little cautious of him now. But he's a good actor, actually. Like, he's talented.

Aren And now we know where he got his start.

Chris Exactly. Exactly.

Aren Do you know if this video was successful for Avondale?

Chris Bunch of dudes walking up in the sleeveless leather vest. [LAUGHS] I actually have no idea.

Aren Well, Chris, thank you for letting me call you and ask you about this. I'll let you know how my digging goes. I may be following up with you later.

Chris Please do, please do. Cheers.

Of course, there’s another layer to this: the tenuous relationship between Adventism and the performing arts. Back in 1913, church prophet Ellen White famously wrote that the theater was “Among the most dangerous resorts for pleasure…the very hotbed of immorality…” and that “Every youth who habitually attends such exhibition will be corrupted in principle.”

White wrote those words before the advent of the cinema, likely had good reason to discourage attendance. But as culture shifted over the next century, the weight of her words didn’t. Many Adventists grew up being told the one place their guardian angel would not follow them into was the movie theater. Even today, it’s still taboo.

And yet, Adventism has found its way onto the screen. TV shows like Girls…

Tad It’s those annoying Seventh-day Adventists again.

House…

Kitty His followers never faded out. They became the Seventh-day Adventists. A major world religion.

Gilmore Girls. 

Lane I have decided to make this whole “Seventh-day Adventist college experience” a good one.

Lorelai Well good for you.

Rory The campus looks pretty.

Lane It’s got two huge parks with gardens and lakes.

Lorelai Two parks?

Lane One for boys, and one for girls.

Even Archie Bunker from All in the Family

Archie Bunker Raise him a Luferan if you want, raise him a Norman with seven wives, a holy roller, a Seventh-day Adventurer [LAUGHTER]

But none of those had the impact of Angus T. Jones. That may sound like the name of another church pioneer, but Jones was a star on the hit CBS show Two and a Half Men. He was 10 when it began, and by age 12, Jones was the highest-paid child actor in Hollywood. He made $8 million a season.

Jake Uncle Charlie, what if someone you don’t want to talk to comes over instead of calls?

Charlie Just tell them I’m not here.

Jake He’s not here, Grandma!

[LAUGHTER]

Jones was on the show for ten years. Then, at 19, he suddenly left after converting to Adventism. He began calling the show “filth” and begged fans to stop watching—it was a huge media story.

Since then, he’s retracted those statements, but he’s no longer on screen. Even so, Angus T. Jones likely remains the greatest living connection between the Church and the acting world. 

Until…now?

But here’s the thing: The Adventist Church in North America is now facing its own pastor shortage. So maybe we could learn something from our friends Down Under. Pastor Chris told us that Avondale showed the video to incoming students, but neither him nor David knew anything about its backstory or impact. I also try contacting the user that uploaded it, with no luck.

I realize I’m left with no other choice. It was time to go directly to the source.

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Operator Welcome to Avondale, the number one university for overall educational experience…

As I look for answers in Australia, it doesn’t escape me how strange this call is. This is a busy university, and I’m bothering them to ask about something I saw on YouTube. Sure enough, there is no menu option for “Questions about videos we made in the 80’s.” So, it goes as you might expect…

[CALL TO AVONDALE MONTAGE]

For as kind as everyone was, my calls to Avondale leave me with little more than a phone bill. The next day I receive an email from the school confirming they don’t know much about the video, but with a contact suggestion for someone who might. I reach out to ask for an interview, but they decline.

I also try contacting every name I can find from the credits: Producers, editors, I even message the co-star in the shorts on Facebook and LinkedIn. I don’t hear back. I’m starting to wonder why this is so hard. Sure, 44 years is a long time–but this is Maximus, Zeus, Javert.

Javert [SINGING] And I’m Javert.

Sorry.

But, while listening to that curious note, it hits me. Why not reach out to the man himself? I look online and message the agency that represents Russell Crowe. I also find an email address claiming to belong to the actor. My pitch is simple: Just five minutes to ask about his first acting job. For good measure, I also reach out on his social media channels. I’m met with silence.

What my search does yield are two old interviews about the video. The first with Crowe, who says when he was young, the Seventh-day Adventist Church offered him $500 to film a 25-minute promo. He gladly accepted during a time when he had few jobs and no family around. He also shares a story of staying at an Adventist family’s home during the shoot. It made me wonder if the young person impacted the most by “A Very Special Person” was Crowe himself.

The other was with somebody who worked on the crew. He said the actor’s involvement in the project was instrumental in encouraging young people to not necessarily become pastors, but become Adventist. To them, A Very Special Person was a success.

After emailing every Aussie I can find, weeks go by with no response. But then, late one night as I’m crawling into bed, I get a message from a pastor in Australia who says that while he didn’t help make the video, he now works with the company that did–and he’s happy to talk. Immediately, I crawl out of bed.

Wayne Hi, mate. 

Aren Hi, Wayne. How are you?

Wayne I'm good.

Wayne Boehm is a pastor with a long career in media ministry. He now works as the director for the Hope Channel South Pacific. Hope Channel is part of the Adventist Media Centre in Australia, the company that produced A Very Special Person. Wayne wasn’t there in 1982, but he’s seen the video.

Wayne Yeah, 10, 15 years ago. Um, I think someone saw it and it was just, it, it got into doing the rounds. And, um, you know, Russ is pretty big out in this part of the world, being one of our own. You sort of looking and go, you know, wow, look at this!

Again, mid eighties, there would've been no social media, um, no YouTube. So where it actually played, uh, I, I don't know. But probably now it'd be a good thing for Avondale to pick it up and say, “Hey guys, create a reel out of it and start pushing it out there again.” Yeah, it's in the dark recesses of YouTube somewhere. How, how did you come across it? How did you see it? 

Aren The dark recesses of YouTube…I feel like it's just one of those mythical things that makes its little rounds.

Aren But do you know these names…

I begin going through the credits, and asking Wayne who he knows or has heard of. Which leads to one name in particular.

Aren Gabe Reynaud?

Wayne Yep, yep. I think he was the, the producer of it. Um, unfortunately he's passed. It was a, a motorcycle accident, um, that he was involved in. So, yeah, he passed a number of years ago now.

It turns out, Reynaud was a filmmaking pioneer in the Church. The first ever professionally trained Adventist director. After creating A Very Special Person in his 20’s, he went on to produce award-winning documentaries and several films, such as Keepers of the Flame, a groundbreaking series on church history.

He was also a fierce advocate for the arts. In one article from 1998, Reynaud said he believes Adventists should play an active role in media, and that he dreams of a Church that truly values creativity. “If I can make a few small steps in this direction with my productions,” he says, “I will feel I’ve achieved something worthwhile.” Two years later, he tragically passed away at age 47. 

Wayne tells me about some of the other crew from the video…

Wayne Yep, Kevin, he, he's passed as well.

He was, uh, down at the media center.

He was the evangelist. And he is still working.

They used to sing in with heritage singers…

As he shares, I begin to see A Very Special Person through a new lens. Rather than being about the special person who went on to star in Hollywood, I wonder if it’s actually about the bold group of people who came together to try something new–led by a young director who deeply believed in the creative potential of the Church.

Aren It seems like there was just this team of talented pastors, or media professionals who were just creating really engaging creative content for the church at that time. These really brilliant people working together. It's kind of a special thing. 

Wayne Yeah. Yeah. And, and that's one of the things that I guess when we start looking at, at this sort of material and everyone being a creator these days, we've gotta be creative. I think we do have to push the boundaries of, of creativity at times. Not for the sake of pushing boundaries, but for the sake of being creative in this space. Think beyond, you know, what be what might be possible and, and yeah, just lay it out there, Lord. Is this the direction we need to go? And, you know, move forward in that. 

Aren Wayne, it's such a pleasure to meet you, Pastor.

Wayne Yeah, you too bud.

Aren Thank you so much for being part of our podcast.

Wayne No, pleasure. Pleasure. 

Shortly after our conversation, I receive a surprising email from Russell Crowe. After asking about the podcast, and then agreeing to an interview, he directs me to negotiate fees with his manager. Which may mean it was not coming from Russell Crowe, after all.

But even if it was–frankly, I had moved on. I decided to make my last call to somebody I was much more interested in talking to.

Ebony Dad was like deeply creative, quite introspective. And, yeah, really proud of his work and proud of his family.

This is Ebony Taplin, formerly Ebony Reynaud. The daughter of Gabe Reynaud.

Ebony In so many words, I know he loved storytelling. And that's part of like his strong silent type as well. He was strong in his faith and strong in his passion for, for filmmaking and passion for all the arts.

Aren What do you remember about that passion as a child?

Ebony He was so determined to make this career in the arts happen, you know, at the sacrifice of regular paychecks. And there was a catch phrase. “Oh, the check's in the mail.” You know, we're always waiting for the check to come and I really like admire dad for that because it would've been a lot easier to step away and, and pursue projects outside the church, but dad was passionate about it and he, I think he saw it as his way to share his faith. 

It also meant a lot of travel. Ebony shares about a time when he was away for a film shoot, but returned earlier than expected.

Ebony We weren't expecting him home so soon, and he'd arrived at the door and I went to answer the door. I said, whatcha doing home like already? And he said, my name's Gabriel. I flew here. Like he was an angel.

Ebony was 17 when the accident happened. After taking her to California to attend a new school, Gabe then flew to Europe for two weeks of filming. The morning he returned home, he went on a motorcycle ride with Ebony’s older brother. Near the end of the ride, as both bikes turned a corner, Gabe collided with an oncoming vehicle.

Ebony So getting that call in the States was, yeah, it felt like a movie. 

And, and it was the church pastor at the time who phoned
And he just said, oh, still remember uh, love, there's, there's been an accident and dad's um, dad's not made it, and I, I remember just this.

No, no, no reaction. And it very Hollywood in hindsight, dad would've been proud. 

Coming home it was almost exciting because I'd been away and family and friends from all over and lots of attention on the family of course. And, and uh, it was the silence that came, you know, several months later when it had, everyone had gone home and. You are left with, you know, the grieving from that point on. 

Ebony is now in her 40’s, married with three kids of her own. Of course, the grief remains, a close companion over the past 26 years, that also inspires her to keep sharing about her dad. Even with strangers calling from the other side of the world.

Which, eventually, does lead to her asking how I discovered her dad’s work. 

Ebony So what, what had you seen that…

By this point, I’m almost embarrassed to say.

Aren Yeah, um. Well. Did he ever mention creating a video that a young Russell Crowe acted in?

Ebony Yeah, of course. He stayed at our house. [LAUGHS]

Aren What?

Ebony Yeah! So, dad went to…

Remember that Adventist family Russell mentioned staying with? Turns out, it was in Ebony’s bedroom, one year before she was born. And the Avondale professor who then started showing the video to students? Her uncle, Daniel, who taught at the school and couldn’t help but brag about his brother.

Ebony He would say, oh, now do we all remember the time, you know, that Gabe Reynaud brought Russell Crowe into the fold to advertise Avondale College, you know [LAUGHS] So we, we were able to have that rapport with dad and we'd go, oh yeah, yeah, you and Rusty, you know, um…

Aren “Rusty” [LAUGHS]

Ebony But certainly–yeah, him and Rusty. And it's funny you say, A few weeks ago I had my wedding anniversary and we stayed in the city where Russell has an apartment. Okay? And we were leaving for the weekend and who should be walking by. Russell?

Ebony I said to Luke, oh. I go and say something like, you stayed in my bedroom, but he was with a lady. I thought she'll be like, excuse me. Um, but I wish I'd done it. And I think I, if I had a bit of Gabe in me, I, or more Gabe at that time, I would've gone over and said, please, let me just bother you for one minute. 

Trust me, Ebony. We’ve all been there.

Aren Before I let you go: What do you hope your father’s legacy is? What do you hope he's remembered by?

Ebony I think those things like, you know, his strength and determination to pursue something he believed in, something he was passionate about. Um, and that's certainly resonates. You know, it's, it's all too easy to let go of a dream when you come up against so much pushback. Um, and he was happy to just do it his way that he felt comfortable in, but still caused some ripples, if that makes sense.

Aren It does.

In 2011, Avondale created the Gabe Reynaud award, given annually to Adventist artists who demonstrate creative excellence. Recipients have included film makers, songwriters, live streamers, and composers. It’s considered Australia’s highest honor in Adventist media.

Ebony I'm so pleased you reached out and, um, thank you for the opportunity. I always, I'd love for anyone, everyone to know about Dad.
And is it Aaron or Aaron?

Aren it's Aaron. Just like the normal way but spelled differently.

Ebony Okay. Well, I'll give you an Aussie Aaron then. 

In the end, I didn’t speak directly with any of the actors or producers of A Very Special Person. And yet, I no longer felt the need to. The video remains for us now a gift from the past, a pixelated relic of talented Adventist creators, and of a church that has pushed the edges of artistry before, by stepping upon the shaky ground of innovation.

Perhaps that’s why we tell our stories. Not only for what they say to the audience, but for what they remind us about ourselves.

Episode Outro

Adventist Stories is a production of the Pacific Union Conference and Growing Young Leaders. It is hosted and edited by me, Aren Rennacker, with the support of many. Cover art designed by Taji Saleem. Music provided by Blue Dot Sessions, Stellwagon Symphonette, Cristine Fellows, John K Sampson, and Lindsey Mae. We’re going to end each episode of the show by featuring one Adventist musical artist. This is Lindsey’s first single, “In Your Arms Again.” If you’d like to hear more of Lindsay’s music, you can find her on Spotify and on her Instagram, @ Lindsay Mae Music.

Also, Pastor Ben Amoah, who you heard at the beginning of the episode, he’s produced a youth study guide called Nine Practices for Being Well you should check out. It’s really good. You can find it at Adventsource.org. 

To learn more about the show, visit adventiststories.buzzsprout.com or follow us on Instagram, @AdventistStories, and if you enjoyed this episode, we would be so grateful if you subscribe to the show on your favorite podcast app. It truly means a lot.

Finally, a big thank you to our Union president, my boss, Bradford Newton. He has been such a big support to making this show happen. In fact, when I asked him what it was like hearing our very first episode, he looked at me with a big smile on his face and said…

Wayne Boehm You sort of look at it and go, yeah, wow, look at this!

Thank you all so much for listening. We will be back next week with our second episode, and we hope you join us then for more Adventist Stories. 

End